The Communicators

Theresa Payton, a cybersecurity firm CEO, discusses her book, “Manipulated: Inside the Cyberwar to Hijack Elections and Distort the Truth.” Ms. Payton was White House Chief Information Officer for Pres. George W. Bush. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX), a former cybersecurity analyst and CIA officer, talks about cyber issues facing the U.S., artificial intelligence, and says China wants to surpass the U.S. as a superpower by focusing on future technologies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff Moss, creator of the cybersecurity and hacker conferences Black Hat and DEF CON, discusses 2020 election security, the Chinese-owned Tik Tok and We Chat social media platforms, and where the internet is heading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield discusses how small-town and rural broadband providers have adapted to COVID-19, along with their efforts to bridge the digital divide and extend broadband infrastructure across the U.S. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two technology watchers discuss whether Big Tech is now too big. Sarah Miller of the American Economic Liberties Project & former Rep. Barbara Comstock, now with Baker Donelson, discuss their views on this after a House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee hearing with CEOs of Amazon, Facebook, Alphabet & Apple.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Communications and Technology Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) talks about expanding broadband, the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on telecommunications, and other Republican priorities on the Energy and Commerce Communications Subcommittee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), Energy & Commerce Committee Ranking Member, talks about social media companies, U.S. competition with China over 5G, and the effort to take broadband everywhere in the U.S. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California, represents much of Silicon Valley. He talks about efforts in Washington to step up regulation of social media platforms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chair Rep. Mike Doyle talks about disinformation, expanding broadband, how the coronavirus pandemic has affected telecommunications, and priorities of the Energy and Commerce Communications Subcommittee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

USTelecom President & CEO Jonathan Spalter discusses the coronavirus’ impact on telecommunications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House Science Committee Ranking Member Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) talks about the impact of the coronavirus on science, technology, and Congress. He discusses a need to expand broadband in the U.S. and increase American scientific research. This episode was recorded using Zoom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NCTA President and CEO Michael Powell discusses how broadband and Cable TV have adapted to COVID-19 and other issues facing the cable television industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly talks about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on communications and on the digital divide, the President’s executive order on social media and other issues facing the FCC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Representative Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Energy and Commerce Committee vice chair and co-chair of the Smart Cities Caucus, talked about “smart cities” an d the technology involved to enable them. She also discussed election security, facial recognition issues, and “deepfakes,” which take a person in an existing image or video and replace them with someone else’s likeness using artificial neural networks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Susan Ness, a Federal Communications Commission commissioner from 1994-2001, spoke with “The Communicators” while attending the annual “State of the Net” Conference. She talked about what she called the “golden age” of the FCC and what was accomplished during that time. She also discussed her current work trying to reduce hate speech and online extremism. Ms. Ness co-chairs a group of U.S. and European officials, academics, and technology leaders called the Transatlantic High Level Working Group. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Luther Lowe, Yelp’s public policy chief in Washington, D.C., talked about digital competition. Mr. Lowe had recently testified at a Senate antitrust subcommittee hearing about his organization’s contention that Google was advancing its own products and interests online at the expense of Yelp and other digital companies. He also discussed anti-SLAPP laws, which would protect consumers or journalists, for example, exercising free speech from merit-less lawsuits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andrew Marantz, a New Yorker Magazine writer and the author of Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation, described how the internet has allowed trolls, far right ideologies, and a subculture of extremists to flourish online. Efforts by social media platform creators to limit censorship resulted in extremists posting ideas.

Andrew Marantz, a New Yorker Magazine writer and the author of Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation, described how the internet has allowed trolls, far right ideologies, and a subculture of extremists to flourish online. Efforts by social media platform creators to limit censorship resulted in extremists posting ideas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brad Smith, Microsoft president and the co-author of the new book, Tools and Weapons, talked about the ways technology can be both a helpful tool and a weapon in society. He also discussed the need for more regulation of the tech industry.

Brad Smith, Microsoft president and the co-author of the new book, Tools and Weapons, talked about the ways technology can be both a helpful tool and a weapon in society. He also discussed the need for more regulation of the tech industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices